What shorts did you get? I'm looking to replace mine after my ace and comfy O'Neill ones flew off a boat - yep, true story, I didn't tie them on like a complete idiot! Got some new ones on order so wanna know which brands to avoid!

I hope I am ok posting this here, I am looking for a new winter suit but the number of options is blowing my mind some what, I have a budget of about 200 - 250 quid and think my top proirity is flexibility,kind of wish I had more money as the choice at the very top end is less but I can't quite stretchit, is their any advice you can offer, are the mid range excel suits still better than their competitors at that price range as I know their top range of suits is rated very highly

petegee56 wrote:go in a shop, try as many as you can on. just say, "no, I don't like the fit" then go home, and fine last years online.

this kind of stunt drives shopkeepers mad . one guy this summer had the cheek to come in and try a suit on, even said we will do a discount for cash..said he would think about it. looked across the road and he was sat on the grass googling it..walks in says" na its cheaper online"

Meyerhoffer 6'8 Lemondrop. Bought from Surfed Out in North Devon. Im a pretty rubbish surfer and have been tanking about on a Mini mal for a couple of years.I'm 40 years old and 15 stone & I never thought I would be riding something smaller but I decided to take the plunge after talking to the guys in the shop and have bought a Lemondrop. This thing flies! Really easy to paddle and catches waves that before I would have missed. It can be ridden as a quad or a thruster although I surf it with the quad set-up all the time now. I am progressing really quickly now and can actually cutback! I would'nt suppose it would be of much use to the guys who rip but for a very intermediate surfer like myself it's fantastic. I reckon by next summer that I will be dropping down a few more inches. I am trying to find out if they do a 6'6?

So, if like me you want to progress your surfing to the next level, catch tons of waves and get out of the sea with a silly grin on your face then this is a superb board.

Chukka wrote:Meyerhoffer 6'8 Lemondrop. Bought from Surfed Out in North Devon. Im a pretty rubbish surfer and have been tanking about on a Mini mal for a couple of years.I'm 40 years old and 15 stone & I never thought I would be riding something smaller but I decided to take the plunge after talking to the guys in the shop and have bought a Lemondrop. This thing flies! Really easy to paddle and catches waves that before I would have missed. It can be ridden as a quad or a thruster although I surf it with the quad set-up all the time now. I am progressing really quickly now and can actually cutback! I would'nt suppose it would be of much use to the guys who rip but for a very intermediate surfer like myself it's fantastic. I reckon by next summer that I will be dropping down a few more inches. I am trying to find out if they do a 6'6?

So, if like me you want to progress your surfing to the next level, catch tons of waves and get out of the sea with a silly grin on your face then this is a superb board.

I want to weigh in on my previous part review of a patagonia r4 winter suit (hooded)

It is still warm as anything, even in north coast scotland rivermouth surf. It feels like you're wearing a knitted onesie and the hood is as warm as your favourite beanie. The seams are still good (2nd winter now) though I'm starting to feel drops of cold water around the underarm seams so there must be pinholes, but nothing to get too worried about. I would say the neck seal isn't as waterproof as the xcel design, and if you get tombstoned by the lip or bail awkardly it can properly flush with freezing water - this is partly due to odd design decisions on their part. The front zip suits are open on both sides of the zip, and without elastic to hold the open sides closed (xcel style).

That said I reckon the suit is going to be longer lasting by design as well. My theory is the extra insulation/woven inside of the suit (and it running just abuot all over rather than just an insulated chest panel) will keep you warm even as the seams inevitably age and some water starts to get in, whereas my previous winter suits were only warm as long as the seams are were in good condition.

finlay wrote:I want to weigh in on my previous part review of a patagonia r4 winter suit (hooded)

It is still warm as anything, even in north coast scotland rivermouth surf. It feels like you're wearing a knitted onesie and the hood is as warm as your favourite beanie. The seams are still good (2nd winter now) though I'm starting to feel drops of cold water around the underarm seams so there must be pinholes, but nothing to get too worried about. I would say the neck seal isn't as waterproof as the xcel design, and if you get tombstoned by the lip or bail awkardly it can properly flush with freezing water - this is partly due to odd design decisions on their part. The front zip suits are open on both sides of the zip, and without elastic to hold the open sides closed (xcel style).

That said I reckon the suit is going to be longer lasting by design as well. My theory is the extra insulation/woven inside of the suit (and it running just abuot all over rather than just an insulated chest panel) will keep you warm even as the seams inevitably age and some water starts to get in, whereas my previous winter suits were only warm as long as the seams are were in good condition.

nice onf inlay...good to hear an objketive review about these suits....

Those bags filled with wheat , you stick them in the microwave for 2 mins , put against lower back and drive to waves - great if you have been in the day before and your back's a bit stiff - £3 ..... or if you're flash , stick on the heaters on your car seats

was thinking of buying 20 of them & putting them under my rash vest , cheaper than Gav's heated one

Well I finally managed to get on one of PeteUk's boards which I borrowed for the last month or so getting 4 surfs in that time.Its a 6'4" swallow with an unusual 5 fin arrangement; 2 front & 3 small trailers.Its construction means its strong & light & good looking. Can't remember how many years old this board is but it has no compressions like a normal board would.It paddles well & felt smaller in size when getting outback which is good. Its quick off the mark. At no time did I want to be on another board, it handled all the conditions feeling surprisingly solid at times. It got nice n skatey on the small fun waves too.

YES I would recommend getting one or two!Do yourself a favour, these boards will outlast your others, the shapes work & they look good!

Seeing as its f-ing freezing and everyone should be thinking about their ears can i say that I've moved on from Docs Pro Plugs which I used to like but lost several pairs of, and recently spent the extra money on SORKY ear plugs. They are awesome, no water in ears at all (and i'd just had some weird problems with that) although they are a bit strange when u first put them in if you're not used to having things stuck right down there....